Shoe-rack.



.E. F. O'BRIEN. SHOE RACK. APPLICATION FILED my 20, 1912.

Patented Apr; 8, 1913.

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OF WEST SOI VIEBIVILLE, MfiSSAGI-ITISETTS, ASSIGNOR TO J. RUSH GREEN, OF SOIYIERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. GBmnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vest Somerville, county of Middlesex, State 501 Massachusetts, have invented an 1111- provement infihc-Raehs, of which the fol.- lowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, 15 a specification,

like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a rack for supporting or holding boots or shoes. Racks of this general type are extensively employed in, shoe factories for'holding the boots and shoes during the process of manufacture and I for transporting them from one stage of the process of manufacture to another. In such i-manufacture it is desirable at times that the boots or shoes shall be supported with the sole upward, and at other times that they shall he supported with the sole downward, and transferred in either position to the next stage in the process of manufacture. Itis important also that when supported in.

either position the boots or shoes shall not beeasily subject to accidental displacement, and shall be so supported that they will be guarded from injury by contact with each other orby being rubbed against, jarred or "hit It is. also essential that the boots or a single rack of such construction that the shoes shall be so supported that they may be readily placed in and removed from the rack in whichever ported-in the rack. v

The object of this 'invention'is to provide position they are supboots or shoes may be held "in either position, required, that is with the sole up- Ward or'.-downward, and may be removed 40 when in theone position and restored in the other position in the same place in the rack. This object the present invent'on secures while retaining the rack in snug and compact ijqrm.

The invention also provides arack of sim ple and. strong construction'and one capable .jIofwiths tandin'gthe wear and tear of tac- An importantfeature of the inventionre- 0 sid'esin the constructionenabling the boot or shoe tobe held at one point in the rack in position, either with its sole downward or with its sole upward.

The invention will appear more 1" nly from the accompanying description and drawings Specification of .Lettcrs Patent.

Application filed May 20, 19153.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

Serial Etc. 69832 5.

and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings illustrate a preferred form of rachsembodyin the invention, but it is to be understood t lat the invention is not restricted to any particular mechanical construction nor to he limited other than as required by the claims/ 7 In the drawings-Figure l is an end elevation of a rack of the alternating type. F i g. 2 is a. front elevation of the end portion of a rack of either the single or double type. Fig. is a top plan view of a portion of a rack showing the arrangement of the sup porting members and-toe supporting bar. Fig. 4- is an end elevation partially in cross section of a portion of the double type of rack to show the arrangement of the supporting members and toe supporting bar.

The rack ooniorises a frame which may be of any suitable material or construction. It is herein shown as having a base made up of front bars 1 and end bars 2, mounted upon casters I The ends of the frame are shown as vertical uprights 4- connected by cross bars 5, and these ends are shown as braced from the base by. diagonal braces 6.

' The present invention provides a plurality of horizontally arranged toe supporting bars '7. suitably mounted in the frame and preferably extending longitudinally thereof, that is from end to end. Inthe constructions illustrated these supporting bars are of general 'l' shape with the heads resting upon and secured to the cross bars 5, the heads being Wedge shaped so that the web portion of the supporting bars 7 is inclined to the vertical. These supporting bars may be arranged in diii'erent ways according to thesize and style of the rack. In Fig. 1 the horizontal supporting bars 7 have a staggered or alternating relation, thus enabling, as will be seen, the boots and shoes supported thereby to form alternating rows on each face or side of the rack. As shown in Fig. at, these horizontal supporting bars 7 are arranged parallelto each other and cen- .tially of the rack,- forming what is termed a .double rack, and other arrangements may be employed if desired. \Vhen the shoes are in position with the sole upward,

the horizontal supporting bars 7 serve as the support for the toe end of the boot or shoe. Preferably also and in the forms herein illustrated the supporting arms and ject from the horizontal supporting bars 7.

- may be made of suitable material which will rated from adjacent boots orshocs by the members to be described are secured to and iupported from these horizontal supporting ars.

A plurality of arms are mounted in the frame in horizontal rows and inclined upwardly toward their free ends. Preferably, as stated, these arms are secured to and pro- Four of such arms are shown in plan View in Fig. 3. Each arm 8 is substantially flat upon its upper surface, presents concaved side edges 9, and has an enlarged head 10, and is provided centrally and longitudinally at its upper surface with suitable shoe separating means such as the rib 11. These arms properly support the boot or shoe without injury thereto, and for that purpose may be made of wood. The opposing and adjacent halves of thesearms constitute pairs of boot or shoe supporting members. When it is desired to place the boot or shoe in position, sole downward, as at 12 or 13, the boot or shoe is placed on these supporting members and rests firmly in place and against the horizontal supporting bars 7 and is sepaseparating means or ribs 11. Vhen it is desired to place the boot or shoe in position with the sole upward as at'l l, the upper is slipped in between the adjacent edges of the supporting members and the toe is placed upon the horizontal supporting bars 7, the concaved edges of the'supporting members receiving the upper and holding the boot or shoe in position. It will thus be seen that i a boot or shoe may be put in the same place with either the sole up or the sole down as required and without changing its position in the rack, and will in either position be held securely in place and separate from the other boots or shoes. The members of the horizohtal rows of arms are preferably staggered vertical, that is the members of the one row alternate in position with the members of the row above and the row below, as l shown in Fig. 2, thus enabling the horizontal rows to be brought closer together.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A rack for holding boots or shoes comprising a frame, a plurality of arms mounted in said framein horizontal rows and in: clined' upwardly toward their free ends, each arm presenting a substantially flat upper surface, concaved side edges and an enlarged head, and provided centrally and longitudinally on said upper surface with separating means,'whereby boots or shoes may be supported and held separately, either sole upward or sole downward, in the same position in the rack.

2. A rack for holding boots or shoes comprising a frame, a plurality of horizontal supporting bars, a plurality of arms projecting outwardly from and inclined upwardly from said bars, each arm presenting a substantially flat upper surface, concared side edges, and an'enlarged head, and provided centrally and longitudinally on said upper surface with a rib, whereby boots or shoes may be supported and held separately, either sole upward or sole downward, in the same position in the rack.

3. A rack for holding boots or shoes comprising a frame, a plurality of pairs of boot or shoe supporting members, each pair of the said members having means to receive between them and hold separate from other boots or shoes a boot or shoe, with the sole upward and to receive upon them and hold separate from other boots or shoes a boot or shoe with the sole downward.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD r. OBRIEN.

Witnesses 2 W'INoN'A M. Harrow), THOMAS J. DRUMMONT. 

